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Old 03-15-2013, 08:13 PM
 
172 posts, read 295,141 times
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Oh, so I got it wrong ... people actually like pre-70s old houses, and don't like new ones?
In any case a McMansion sounds very unappealing. That 60s mid-century modern sounds more up my alleyway. We currently live in a modest brick house, but it does have big windows and lots of light. The houses in the US actually sound very big. By the way, is there some website I can go to with pictures to view architectural styles by era ... I am finding it very hard to visualise what people are talking about, here its all villas and the type of wood and brick ... the gardening sounds great across the board, though! Yay!

That park sounds like it would appeal to my son a lot. And yes, I am actually familiar with sitting in the rain to watch soccer, it is played in the winter season here - just about to start, actually. The hot chocolate is a nice idea!
Will now go look up Cougar Mountain area! Thanks for the suggestion.

SSLifestyler
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Old 03-15-2013, 08:25 PM
 
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Actually, no... Some newer ones are nice and people like those as well. Just depends on the built itself (quality) and the style. I personally love MidCentury Moderns (especially when its updated) but despise split level homes. If you love a lot of light, MCM homes probably would suit you well.

Brick isn't as huge here as its Earthquake central (doesn't stand as well during a quake), but it can be used as a facade.
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Old 03-15-2013, 08:45 PM
 
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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There are many 50s-60s homes in Bellevue, in the areas east of 156th and south of about NE8th, but they are getting somewhat run down. Most homes here were built in the older parts of Sammamish and the plateau part of Issaquah were built 1975-1995 in the boom years when flocks of people were coming from California. I garden and also do bonsai, for the latter it's perfect weather with all the rain I only have to water them July-September. Warm weather crops like peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers cannot be planted until May and then we can get a freeze by early October. I finally put in a greenhouse and extend it quite a bit but it's not big enough for melons or corn. There are farms in the Snoqualmie valley that do well with corn but they have great river valley soil and huge acreage with no trees. We have 80-100' tall firs and cedars blocking a lot of the sun on much of the eastside.

Most people star their kids in preschool by age 2-3, some earlier, and the most popular ones have long waiting lists. Despite the law virtually all of them are in Kindergarten at age 5, and because we have such a well educated population, people are afraid they will fall behind without an educational preschool.
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Old 03-16-2013, 06:09 PM
 
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Ooooh, earthquakes, I hadn't thought of that! But of course, there's a big fault right there isn't there.

There are so many factors that are really just hard to know, not being there. I guess it would be prudent to rent first and then buy (if we can afford it) once we've scoped out the place. Maybe a good start would be rent in Issaquah and see how we like it.

What is rental like there? In that I mean, are family homes available (as opposed to apartments, though to be honest, I'm not too fussed if it is a rental) and are there minimum tenures, etc?

I'm finding it hard to get a sense of what has been happening in the real estate market over there the last few years and where it is currently. Everywhere in the world has been affected of course, but differently in every place. Was Seattle/Eastside very hard hit? From what I've read here, I would say that: it has, but really great areas have held their value; other places have dropped, significance depending on area; people who can hold onto their homes are, so there are not so many houses for sale currently. Would that be more or less the current situation. How would Bellevue and Issaquah stack up by that analysis?

Thanks for all the gardening notes it really sounds great. You wouldn't have to water the plants much, at least!

SSLifestyler
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Old 03-19-2013, 03:52 PM
 
Location: Kirkland, WA (Metro Seattle)
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Hard to move to a foreign country, even with common language and close cultural cross-pollination. The rules in-detail are different, and it's 10,000 miles away. My buddy from Oz got a bit frustrated (and still does) 12 years on in the United States, smart guy though he is.

The housing market in the U.S. for buyers and sellers is in-flux last couple years, from doom and gloom to a surge in optimism in "some" places, especially last quarter or two. Suggest looking at the U.S. site Zillow for trends, if you're a stats-person (I am, so it's easy-pickings). They aggregate great data with charts of trends by zip-code. Prices in some (most?) Seattle zip codes are up quite a bit past year or two, for whatever reason.

You're right about the R.E. market being confused, it depends on where you are. Big country, after all. Certain areas like Las Vegas and Sacramento (Nevada and California, respectively) took it very hard. Others, less, though safe to say almost everywhere had big price drops from peaks in 2007.

Different segments of the market were hit in different ways, confusing things further.

Back to Zillow again, look at prices trends on their 10-year and 5-year charts for Issaquah, Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond. Interesting reading. My opinion is focus on a couple areas in Seattle, trend it out to see what's going on, to stop yourself from going nuts.

Home inventory is very low, that is all over the local news these days. A macro trend and complicated topic. Is that why prices are up (A: maybe). Or is the economy recovering (A: maybe). Or are there a combination of factors in-play (tight money, inventory, consumer confidence, value of the dollar, so much more).

There a couple active volcanoes nearby, and the Cascadia Subduction Zone. Yes, Seattle is at fairly high geologic risk for large quakes. A moderate size quake in 2001 shook things up (figurative, literal). Few fatalities, light damage, but reminded everyone where we live. Deal with it, have a backup plan for that sort of disaster (as best you can).

"Rent in Issaquah": great idea #grin. My pal did that, then bought a place three years on, seemed to lower his stress once he knew where he wanted to live (started, and ended, in Redmond. Not too different from Issaquah.)

Yes, one can rent homes. Big subject, same general rules. Yes, usually there are minimum tenures (leases) but like anything else I doubt "always" is the right word: many things in life are negotiable, if you throw enough money at the problem.
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Old 03-23-2013, 07:31 PM
 
172 posts, read 295,141 times
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Thanks for all the "research" tips, I'm sure it will be helpful ... sort of in the way stock market graphs are useful, lol.
But yes, better to know.

I think renting makes sense for a bit. Especially to decide where to settle for educational purposes in the long run, see which schools are friendly towards homeschoolers and allow you to do "part-time" school (so it won't be such a terrible shock when the kids eventually go to school).

I HATE moving, I swear I will only take our beds, bookshelves and desks when we come, and maybe 6 plates and 6 sets of cutlery. I am going to be totally ZEN in the future (looking around our livingroom stuffed with FAR TOO MUCH STUFF).
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Old 11-04-2014, 08:07 AM
 
172 posts, read 295,141 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SouthSeasLifestyler View Post
Hello all!

We are thinking of moving to your lovely state and country from downunder. Pretty exciting and all, but so much to learn! Mostly wondering if we can replicate the good things about where we live now. Now, I know the weather isn't possible, but we are talking possibilities here!

Okay, first a little context, we will probably be either in Redmond or Bellevue for husband's job (with MS). We have 2 kids on the young end. My big question as the one who will have to stay at home a lot is: WHERE TO LIVE?

Priorities:
- Commute: as little commute as possible (we think spending time in traffic is a waste of one's life)
- Schooling: I notice in your state kids don't have to go to school till they are 8 right? So, is that 3rd grade? Is that what kids go to when they are 8? My ideal school would be one with a Chinese immersion programme. Again, I would LOVE not to have to drive far for school.
- Homeschooling communities: Well, until we get to school, got to socialise the kids somewhat. I realise may have to travel for that. Is homeschooling very religious out there? Here it more about the free and easy lifestyle, and I'd like to keep it that way.
- Space: I'd like space for the kids to run around safely in wilderness (is there such a thing? will they be eaten by bears?) I guess may have to travel for that, too. Does anybody swim in the sea there? My kid does here all the time, we have gazillion beaches.
- Food: Do you guys have good fresh fruit and vegetable stores? We prefer to cook at home. What great produce are you famed for?
- House: I'm getting all confused ... people here love houses built in the 70s over new houses, but I'm getting the vibe people in the US hate them or look down on them - why is there something wrong with them? (I don't care what people think about my house, which is often a mess anyway, I just don't want the roof falling on my head)
- Nature and gardening: Husband's passion (after tech)

I'm sure I'll have more questions, but this is a start. Thanks in anticipation.

SSLifestyler

So, my spouse tells me that now that we've actually moved and lived here over a year, I should come back and write out what I discovered, as this might be useful to others thinking of moving here. As a sort of thank you and to share information.


COMMUTE TO/FROM MS:
All the recommendations for Redmond and Bellevue are pretty spot on. Kirkland isn't really all that bad either, but that road 85th I think the Redmond Way becomes gets really crowded. We chose to live close enough to walk and cycle to work, and the MSer has never been healthier.


SCHOOLING:
Indeed you can choose not to go to school without needing to do any paperwork till the child turns 8. Lots of people send their kids to pre-school much younger than that.

Lots of sparkly private options, but the public schooling seems pretty good too.

There are LOTS of opportunities and options for kids no matter what their interests (classes, camps, etc), so if you can afford it, you will be spoilt for choice. I think the Parks and Recreations offerings by each city are slightly cheaper and very good.


HOMESCHOOLING COMMUNITIES:
Tons. Very homeschool friendly area. Lots of co-ops as well as more casual groups that meet up regularly. We are not lacking in friends.


SPACE:
Yes, there are huge lots, yes you can sometimes get bears if you live a little out, and I didn't think of this at the time, but it makes parents very nervous. One lady told me she never let her kids out in the yard unsupervised, which is a downer. Only place you can get an acre close up to MS (with no bears) is probably Bridle Trails which is a bit spendy.

We traded space for NEIGHBORHOOD, meaning one with lots of kids and friends for our children.

As for the swimming ... well, we've been in the lakes and the Puget Sound and it isn't pleasant.


FOOD:
Very good, can be expensive. I go to just about every supermarket brand here REGULARLY as each has something I like that the others don't: Wholefoods, Trader Joes, QFC, PCC, Red Apple, Safeway, Costco. Red Apple is a great compromise of price and quality. If you go to Wholefoods, you do find out why people here call it "Wholepaycheck", and if you eat the Costco roast chicken, erm ... (don't mind me, I recently read that a billionaire loves the Costco chicken). To be honest the Wholefoods chicken is very dry, QFC is my favorite ... but that's going off on a chicken tangent. I find the farmer's market more of an experience than a day-to-day staple. Picking your fruit fresh in season and freezing it seems to be a common and sensible practice if you have the time (lots of my friends do it).


HOUSE:
Okay, people do live in houses built in all time frames. But if you go to 50s, 60s, you may be on tank. The more modern houses do appear to be better insulated and heated. Some builders are very highly regarded here - the Buchans and Burnsteads for example were oft mentioned. The older houses also tend to be smaller in terms of square footage. Everything seems quite expensive and going up in price.

I know I debated buying vs renting, and I think you have to consider that if you rent, the rent here is very high, and the price of the houses keep going up, so you have less spending power later. Of course, all this varies situation to situation.

Maintaining a house here - tradespeople and such - is very expensive. If anything breaks down, you shake in your boots. Angies' List is a lifesaver if you don't have a network of people to ask for recommendations. Labor is generally expensive, so if you need a cleaner, etc you will have to pay for it.


NATURE AND GARDENING:
We haven't started gardening yet, too busy with everything else. Nice to go out for hikes though. Lots of birds here, got the feeders out, learning about them.


OVERALL:
Over all, a great place to live. People on the Eastside are incredibly friendly, and almost everyone (even the Americans) are from someplace else, so everyone is very accepting and there is no need to "break into" any cliques or anything. I've been exposed to so many cultures since I got here! You might want to brush up on your geography of Eastern Europe, India and Asia (and the states too) if you don't want to be taken by surprise when people chat to you expecting you to understand all the political developments overseas.

You CAN end up spending a lot here if you are not careful. While I have not been impressed by the eating out options, there are still many opportunities to consume all sorts of products and services. The health facilities are impressive, but expensive.

So I can't say I've "replicated" a SSLifestyle, but I've definitely created a PNW lifestyle which is awesome in its own way.

SSLifestyler

Last edited by SouthSeasLifestyler; 11-04-2014 at 08:16 AM..
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Old 11-04-2014, 09:19 AM
 
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Great post. It never gets mentioned but we are amazed at all the birds we get at our feeders. We have two double-sided suets and a very large squirrel-proof grain feeder and we get so many birds that I sometimes think we should put up a webcam so people can see them all. My favorite are the Stellers Jay and we've had as many as six at a time.

Last edited by Seacove; 11-04-2014 at 09:32 AM..
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Old 11-04-2014, 03:27 PM
 
Location: West Coast - Best Coast!
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Thanks for your update, SouthSeasLifestyler! I recall being a little nervous for you because I wasn't sure you'd find much of the things you loved here. Glad to hear you've discovered new things to enjoy and even found some familiar comforts.
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Old 11-04-2014, 04:23 PM
 
Location: Kirkland, WA (Metro Seattle)
6,031 posts, read 6,106,912 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SouthSeasLifestyler View Post
So, my spouse tells me that now that we've actually moved and lived here over a year, I should come back and write out what I discovered, as this might be useful to others thinking of moving here. As a sort of thank you and to share information.

So I can't say I've "replicated" a SSLifestyle, but I've definitely created a PNW lifestyle which is awesome in its own way.

SSLifestyler
Kind of cool, the retrospective. Since you're from way out of town, makes it more interesting.

Most of the acres in Bridle Trails are forested, other than those deliberately converted to run-room for horses. An interesting area, and I enjoy walking around there since I found a secret bridge across the 405 from Norkirk/Kirkland (shhh! Pedestrians only!). That, and Rose Hill, are two areas I'd steer people toward on Eastside if they want a bit of kicked-back feel amidst the hustle and bustle.

I'd not swim in these lakes too much, Lake Washington is a bit scummy at the best of times. I've never been in the 'Sound, on-purpose or accidentally, and hope to live my whole life without doing so. There must be a good swimming lake around somewhere. I've swum (swam?) in the South Fork Stillaguamish many times, up off Mount Loop Highway, but that's clear mountain runoff.

Restaurants do seem expensive around here. Seems to be a general rule.

Yes labor is expensive. RE other threads, a housecleaning service is apparently expensive at $60/person per hour. I wouldn't have any point of reference, so just assumed three people scouring my house for an hour once per month for $187 (including tax) was par for the course. I figure I'll scream when the driveway needs to be redone by a contractor. Likewise, tree service was big bucks to seriously prune back my old maple and fell a disgusting Lodgepole Pine in my front yard. Is what it is.

Yes, half us Americans are from somewhere else. The "half" part is only a guess: my three best pals are from Oz, Florida, and New Jersey, respectively.

Tons of Russians around here, they have an interesting perspective on life. The Asians, obviously different depending on what part and specific country. Turn up for Ballard's Norwegian Fest one of these years; I stumbled across it earlier in 2014 and had a great time.
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